YMMV / LEGO Pirates

• Alternative Character Interpretation: Considering the colonial empire the Imperial Guards are based on, it's not all too uncommon to see them interpreted as being much more villainous than they're presented as, particularly in fan stop motion films.
• Evil Is Cool: The pirates got most of the focus, the biggest sets, and the more interesting-looking minifigs (with Captain Redbeard having the most unique design of any minifig at the time). Meanwhile, the Imperial Guard got only a handful of sets, and the fact that the majority of its members were given the basic smiley face made them even more forgettable. LEGO seemed to become aware of this, and from then on started fleshing out the Hero Antagonist factions, starting with the Islanders.